Keep Control of Your Domain
by Anna Slyter
Internet Marketing Strategist
What if someone else took over your domain name?
We see it time and time again when we work with new clients. They don’t have access to or control of their website domain name. They have no idea where it’s registered or what their username or password to manage their account is.
Although a common occurrence, this subjects businesses to the will and actions of whoever does have control of their domain. Domain names can be held hostage in lieu of (real or fictitious) charges. Website providers can refuse to give you access if you want to switch to another provider. If angry, they can shut down your site, costing you leads and sales. Even worse, some not-so-nice companies will register YOUR domain under THEIR name – which means you don’t even own it. All your marketing efforts to get people using your site go by the wayside. They can turn around and sell it to someone else who benefits from all your work.
As you can see, it’s really important that you keep track of your domain name. Let’s start with the basics:
Domain Name or URL: this is the www.yoursitename.com (with the ‘yoursitename’ portion applying directly to your website. For example, ours is www.vimm.com. You need to have a domain name registered for your site to be viewed by others on the net. Think of this like your physical address.
Domain Registrar: this is a company that sells and records domain names that you or other people have purchased. They generally charge a yearly fee and have an area in their site that allows you to log in to view and edit your domain information. So, if you want to put up a new website, you need to record the server information for your new site here. Think of this as the post office, so if you move, you need to let the post office know what your new address is so they can direct correspondence (visitors) to your new location. Examples of this are GoDaddy.com, NetworkSolutions.com, and Register.com.
So, what do you need to do to ensure you have control of your own domain?
- Work with a reputable web company and make sure you have contracts in place that define ownership of your domain and website. For example, at Vivid Image, we now provide a post-project document with all your account information as well as a contract establishing ownership rights to your site.
- Ask your website provider to give you the Registrar Name, your login or account ID, and password when they register your site. Then go out and check to make sure it works – do this on a regular basis.
- You can look up who owns a site (unless the information is hidden) at http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/index.jsp or http://www.domaintools.com Make sure you are listed as the owner of the domain and they have all of your contact information up to date.
- Should your email address or contact information change, make sure to let your website provider know, then request (and double check) that they update your WHOIS information.
- If you are listed as the owner of a site, but cannot get the username or password from your current provider, there is a paper process to regain control of your domain. Vivid Image can assist you with this process and provide you with the documentation you need for your records.
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Hosting: Why It's So Important to You
Series Finale: Server Crowding
by Nicholas Vacek, Programmer
Theresa Reyes,
IT Systems Administrator
One of the most important considerations with a website is determining
where to host it. In this final installment of our Mini-Series we’ll briefly explore one last important area to consider: Server Crowding. Previously, we’ve covered the importance of Reputation, Customer Support, and Server Power. From the power of the hosting server, including how the server is organized, to the quality of the provider's customer support, and even their standards of business ethics, how you choose a server is important. Failing to consider all of these issues when choosing where to host can result in problems for your website, and headaches for you.
Server Crowding
Cheap hosting servers are out to make money. They often do not limit the number or type of websites which they crowd onto one server. Choose a cheap solution, and you may be sharing server space with bug-filled sites, or worse, a huge quantity of websites that can cause the server to crash. When a server crashes, your website is down. This means no one can get to your website. When you depend on your website to generate sales, you can’t afford to have an unreliable server that frequently crashes.
Another consideration with using unknown hosting providers is that they may not hold themselves to acceptable standards of ethics. They might host your website alongside sites which encourage pornography or criminal behavior.
At Vivid Image we use dedicated servers, limiting how many and which
sites are hosted there. You want a server dedicated to supporting your site's needs, not the needs of everyone else on the server. Our managed hosting services provide servers that are both powerful and dedicated. This enables our servers to handle the high-end website technology that is used in the sites we develop.
For any questions about hosting or ideas on IT services you would like to see at Vivid Image, call (320)587-8974.
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Contributing Partner: 2008 Business Trends - Partnering Business with Education
By Customized Training and Education Solutions
Denise Pfeifer
Each year it seems we start the New Year with the “top ten” lists which claim to gives us a glimpse at what to expect for the year. This year proves to be no different.
Being associated with customized training and education, this year I set out to learn what challenges businesses (especially small town businesses) might face in 2008.
Jack Schultz author of Boomtown USA (maybe you’re familiar with him - he has spoken to a number of groups in SW Minnesota) put out his Top 10 Trends in 2008 for small towns.
I was particularly interested in #3: Education. Schultz puts emphasis on world class primary and secondary schools and entrepreneurial education increasingly starting with kindergarten. He also stated that Community Colleges will be the key to the constant retraining of the workforce due to rapid changes taking place in our economy.
Which leads me to the question; “Is business and education partnering?” It seems like a “win-win” situation to imagine education and business partnering to develop new-job training or retraining for existing employees, while utilizing resources within your own communities.
As the regional coordinator for Customized Training and Education Solutions representing our Community Colleges and State University in the SW region, I’d love to be able to take the opportunity to link and build the partnerships between Business and Education. Working together and collaborating with one another to get the job done is what we do in SW Minnesota. It’s what we do to survive.
So, as you start your new year and you think about the issues you may be facing in 2008, if one of your “top 10” goals is to partner with education; a great place to start is by connecting with me. I’d be happy to make the connections you may be looking for to help meet your needs.
Happy New Year!
Denise Pfeifer
Regional Coordinator
Customized Training and Education Solutions
denise@mnctes.com
320.894.9913
www.mnctes.com
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Community Connection: Rotary Exchange Program
by Beth and Steve Gasser
 In just a few short weeks our family will say “good bye” to the first foreign exchange student we have welcomed into our family. Our story is one of “firsts”, as Bella Ramirez is also Hutchinson Rotary’s first foreign exchange student. Before this year, the Rotary club in Hutchinson had not participated in the student exchange program. Thanks to Juanita Estrada’s determination, all the paperwork and preparations were done in time to receive Bella at the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year.
Isabella, or Bella as she likes to be called, is from Brazil. She is a 17 year old senior at Hutchinson High School and has been a wonderful ambassador for Brazil, Rotary, and foreign exchange programs alike. Bella’s enthusiasm for family, school, music, and extracurricular activities has been amazing. Because Rotary’s exchange program is a little different from other programs, Bella will have the opportunity to experience three different host families during her stay.
We were Bella’s second host family, and it has been an awesome experience for us and our young children. We were lucky to get to share our holiday traditions with Bella, as well as bring her to walk on her first “frozen lake” and see her first buffalo. She often states that the snow is very pretty, even though the rest of us can’t muster as much enthusiasm about the miserable winter byproduct….. She has shared her traditions with us too, cooking us Brazilian foods and helping us close a gap between two very different cultures.
If you are considering hosting a foreign exchange student or are interested in learning more about Rotary’s program, please contact Steve at steve@vimm.com
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Client Spotlight: Taking Advantage of What the Hutchinson Chamber Has to Offer
Client: Hutchinson Area Chamber and Convention and Visitor’s Bureau
by Bill Corby
As the Hutchinson Area Chamber and Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, we offer many opportunities for our members to be involved as a volunteer. We also provide many forms of education for our business members and their staff. Starting each September, spanning nine months, is the Hutchinson Leadership Institute. This is designed to help develop the up-and-coming leaders of our community. Our newest venture is Dynamic Sales – A Training Miniseries, which started in October, and was designed to help those in sales to develop the right habits and to build on their current sales abilities. This miniseries is being presented by six successful business people from our own community who are willing to offer their expertise and experience in an effort to help other businesses grow. Our Business After Hours, presented monthly by the Hutchinson Ambassadors, is a great networking tool for any member business and their staff.
If you would like to learn more about the Hutchinson Area Chamber of Commerce, Convention & Visitors Bureau, please visit our website at www.explorehutchinson.com. You can read more about the Chamber’s history, view the calendar of events that any member can add to, look at the business directory to see our members, and view the Hutchinson Ambassadors page to see photos of the activities they are involved in.
All of our members get a free listing in our business directory. With that listing, a member business can link their web page and give a 200 character description about their business all from the comfort of their own office. We receive over 9000 visits a month on our web page. Many people are downloading visitor’s guides, viewing information about businesses, checking events and using the tools to help them collect the information they need.
If your business is not member, please call us at 320-587-5252 with your questions. Our team is always ready to help you connect, find resources, and enhance your business.
The Hutchinson Area Chamber of Commerce, Convention and Visitor’s Bureau:
Working to bring business, community and tourism together…Be part of the solution!
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In the News
 Steve Gasser Wins Business Person of the Year:
At the 60th Annual Hutchinson Chamber of Commerce Banquet on January 31st, Steve Gasser was honored with the 2007 Business Person of the Year Award. Nominated by peers and selected by a committee, this honor is awarded to a business person who has made a positive impact on the area business environment in the areas of market or business expansion, new technologies, community betterment, or other business-related improvements. On behalf of the team at Vivid Image, Congratulations Steve!
Off to Haiti: Vivid Image Sends Best Wishes to Three Of Its Own:
On February 14, 2008, Jonathon Stierman, programmer; Beth Gasser, vice-president; and Cindy Haugland; friend and client of Vivid Image leave for a nine day trip to Haiti to travel and lend a hand to various Haiti Outreach mission projects. This trip is a joint venture between Haiti Outreach and Rotary International: Safe Water Well Projects. Stay tuned for more details about the trip next month!
 New Building Progress:
The new facility is coming along nicely. With countless feet of cable, and we do mean COUNTLESS, the office is ready to receive all forms of technology in just about every location. It will be awesome! With the electrical, cabling, and insulation work complete, the walls (sheetrock) and windows are being installed. We are excited to continue to make progress at the new building and look forward to showing you around in the near future. Stay tuned!
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Check out some of the new web sites done by Vivid Image!
www.waconiamfg.com
www.isttrailers.com
www.douglasschinkel.com
www.imperialvalleybiodiesel.com
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